CNET Editors' Rating

The Bottom LineThe C902's 5-megapixel camera takes very good shots, but they're not quite sharp enough to rival those from a dedicated digital camera. Nevertheless, it's still a great phone that's packed with cool features and blessed with a gorgeously stylish design

8.3 Overall

Review Sections

If there's one company that has done its utmost to blur the boundaries between mobile phones and digital cameras, it's Sony Ericsson. The C902 continues this trend as it sports a 5-megapixel camera complete with face detection and autofocus.

It's available for free on all but the cheapest contracts or will set you back around £250 on pay as you go, but has it got what it takes to make you a happy snapper?

Strengths
Sony Ericsson has been producing some really stylish handsets of late and the C902 is no exception. It's very slim, measuring just 11mm at its thickest point, yet it also feels rock solid. The black and sliver colour scheme of our model looks suitable classy and there's a cool sliding mechanism -- the top part of the phone slides upward to reveal the camera lens hidden beneath.

The C902's 5-megapixel camera includes a micro-mirror for framing self portraits as well as an LED photo light. We would've liked a xenon flash

Sliding the camera open also reveals another new feature: eight touch buttons, arranged in two rows at either side of the screen giving you direct access to camera functions like flash, scene modes and face detection.

Flip the phone over and on the rear beneath the 5-megapixel sensors, you'll find a micro mirror to help you frame self portraits. Above the lens, there's an LED flash. It would have been nice to see a xenon flash instead, but you can't have everything. At least there's pretty minimal shutter lag when you go to take a snap.

The phone features the usual easy-to-use Sony Ericsson menu system so it's a cinch to operate, but there are some nice additional touches such as the built-in accelerometer. Turn the phone while viewing pictures on the screen and the handset will automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode, for example.

The onboard music player is also excellent and similar to that
featured on the company's Walkman range of phones. The supplied
earphones are comfortable and have good bass response, something that's
often missing from cans supplied with cheaper handsets.